Federal law excludes life sentences from good conduct time.[1]
| State | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| Alabama | No incentive time for Class A felonies, crimes causing death by a deadly weapon, life or death sentences, any sentence over 15 years, or sex offenses involving a child. [Alabama SB 1] |
| California | Credit eligibility and rates depend on the case (violent vs nonviolent, determinate vs indeterminate, life terms). Penal Code §§2933 and 2933.1 and CCR Title 15 §3043 et seq. control. We could not load the official legislature site during this check, so those sections are not quoted here. |
| Delaware | No good time for life sentences. [11 Del. C. §4381] |
| Florida | Meritorious gain-time: 1 to 60 days for an outstanding deed, such as saving a life. [Fla. Stat. §944.275] |
| Georgia | Serious violent felonies (murder, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, armed robbery, kidnapping) committed on or after Jan 1, 1995, with a non-life sentence: no parole, 100% of the term. [Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles: FAQ] |
| Illinois | 100%: first-degree murder, terrorism, and natural life sentences. [Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council: Sentence Credits 101] |
| Indiana | Life without parole earns no credit time (IC 35-50-6-8). [Indiana Code 35-50-6] |
| Kentucky | Up to 90 days for each approved drug treatment, evidence-based, or life skills program completed. [KRS 197.045] |
| Minnesota | Exceptions under §244.05 subd. 4a (for example, life sentences). [Minn. Stat. §244.101] |
| Montana | Parole eligibility: one-fourth of the full term for time sentences, and 30 years for life. [MCA §46-23-201] |
| Nebraska | Mandatory minimum terms and life sentences follow other provisions not covered here. |
| Ohio | No credit for death sentences, or for prison or life terms for aggravated murder or murder (including attempt, conspiracy or complicity). [Ohio Rev. Code §2967.194] |
| Oklahoma | No earned-credit deductions for life sentences. DOC keeps a program record for the Parole Board. [SB 1213 enrolled] |
| Rhode Island | No good time for life sentences. [R.I. Gen. Laws §42-56-24] |
| South Carolina | No good conduct credit for life sentences or the 30-year mandatory minimum under §16-3-20. [S.C. Code ch. 24-13] |
| South Dakota | Life and death sentences are not eligible, except through the commutation process. [SDCL §24-15A-32] |
| Tennessee | Credits reduce the time served. In some cases (such as certain life sentences) they also move up release eligibility. Parole is decided by the Board of Parole. |
| Texas | No parole: death sentences, life without parole, and certain offenses listed in §508.145(a), such as continuous sexual abuse of a child. [Tex. Gov't Code ch. 508] |
| Vermont | Not available to people on probation or parole, people eligible under §811, interrupted sentences, or life without parole. [28 V.S.A. §818] |
| West Virginia | Life sentences earn no good time. [W. Va. Code §15A-4-17] |
20 jurisdictions listed. Each row quotes our state page, which cites the statute or agency page. A summary is not legal advice.